RV Park Occupants Save Mans Life

KSCB News - March 17, 2010 12:00 am

Smoke and fire filled the sky late last night in northeast Guymon from an RV trailer fire that occurred.

At 11:07pm, Guymon Firefighters responded to a 911 call of a trailer home fire at the Seven Pines RV Park located at 1025 NE Knutson. “Flames were seen by responding unit several blocks away before our arrival”, said Assistant Fire Chief Grant Wadley. Once on the scene, firefighters found a fully involved 5th-wheel RV trailer on fire with heat and fire beginning to spread to other trailers near by. The 2 fire units from the Guymon Fire Department quickly contained the fire and prevented the fire from further destruction and damaging other trailers.

The owner and occupant of the trailer, Bill Ziegenbein from Clearwater, NE, was sleeping in the front portion of the trailer at the time of the fire. Other nearby trailer owners and occupants from rooms at a nearby motel ran over and quickly started to knock on the doors and windows to awaken Mr. Ziegenbein and get him to safety. “If not for the fast action of these people this could have been a horrible fatality fire”, said Wadley. Mr. Ziegenbein was able to escape his trailer just as the back portion of the trailer was being completely destroyed.

Guymon Fire Fighters were able get the flames under control in 8 minutes of their arrival. The RV trailer was a complete loss at an estimated $15,000. The trailer next door to the north received extensive exterior damage and estimated at $8,000. Mr. Ziegenbein was treated at the scene by Guymon Fire Department Paramedics and released. Cause of the fire is still under investigation and undermined at this time, no foul play is suspected and no injuries were reported.

Guymon Fire Department was assisted by Guymon Police Department, Guymon Emergency Management, Tri-County Electric, City of Guymon Public Works department, and the Red Cross.